Tonight, Wednesday, June 8, at 7 pm the Chapman Historical Museum in Glens Falls will present an illustrated talk on the History of Palmer Falls in Corinth. The speaker will be Stephen Cernek, Prof. of Social Sciences & Humanities at Daniel Webster College and Director of the Corinth Social History Project, an online interactive exhibit. The program will take place at the museum and is free and open to the public.

In his talk Professor Cernek will present the visual and literary history of Palmer Falls from the 1820s to the 1990s, when the dam built there was most recently upgraded. The images will range from early romanticized renderings of the falls to detailed photographs that depict the sprawling International Paper Mill that dominated the site for many decades. To accompany the images he will share excerpts from written descriptions ranging from travelogues to works of fiction.

Stephen Cernek, who earned a Ph.D. in American History from Ball State University, teaches in the fields of American history and American studies. His scholarly interests in the study of organized labor, technology and industrial development in the paper industry led to the creation of the Hudson River Mill Project in 2005, and the Corinth Social History Project in 2010.

This lecture is the second in a series coinciding with the summer exhibit, Harnessing the Hudson. Funding for the project was provided by Brookfield Renewable Power, the Leo Cox Beach Philanthropic Foundation, the New York Council for the Humanities and National Grid.

The Chapman Historical Museum is located at 348 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801. For more information call (518) 793-2826 or go to www.chapmanmuseum.org.

Photo: International Paper Mill, Corinth, ca. 1914. Courtesy of Rachel Clothier.